I Need You Here With Me ONESHOT SONFIC
by Caroline Inspired Me To Drum
Summary: Two years after Dan/Ron reveal. All seemed to be going well, but then why is Ronnie leaving?


**A/N: Hey guys! Well here's another song I thought I could squeeze a story out of. Note that when the song starts, my text refers to the block of italic lyrics just above it.**

It had been two years since Danielle had revealed the secret of her biological make-up to Ronnie. Time had flown by, and Danielle now found herself sitting on her bed in Ronnie's flat. The duo had been spending so much time together that too often; it would get all to late and Danielle would end up crashing on Ronnie's sofa. Two months ago, the decision had been made that Danielle would move in with Ronnie and see how things went. So far, the pair seemed to have collaborated perfectly. The last time Danielle had stayed at Ronnie's; she had felt completely out of place. Ronnie had made it obvious that Danielle was being a hindrance, but Danielle had felt that being a burden on Ronnie was better than living on the streets.

That was all in the past. The one thing she found so difficult to believe is how much of an act that had all been. In the past two years, Veronica Mitchell – Cold faced, heartless, stubborn bitch, had blossomed into the most compassionate, loving and approachable person Danielle could have ever met.

"Danielle I'm leaving in half an hour!" Ronnie had returned from her last minute dash to the shops. Thirty minutes was all Danielle had with her new found motherly figure. It was difficult for Danielle to suppress her guilty conscious. It took Ronnie two years to evoke this parental figure in Danielle's mind, and yet her mother, who had been there for eighteen years, given her all she could have ever wished for had never managed to fill the one hole that in Danielle's heart which Ronnie now poured love into on a daily basis.

Ronnie was reluctantly leaving Danielle for a fortnight to sort out her properties in Ibiza. Ronnie had pleaded with Danielle to go with her, but Danielle had no intentions of breaking her promise to her father, the promise that she would visit Telford at least once a month. Danielle always looked forward to her visits back home. Shropshire was such a beautiful place, welcoming and always peaceful. Danielle found herself sitting on the high country hills, often thinking to herself about anything and everything, knowing that Ronnie would be waiting for her to return, a feeling that lifted her when she thought of how there would always be someone on both ends of her journey to welcome her into a home.

Only this time, Ronnie wouldn't be here to welcome her. Why did this matter? Should Danielle be worried of how dependent she had become on Ronnie? She was a Twenty one year old woman; she should be able to look out for herself…

**Three days later…**

_I always needed time on my own  
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry  
And the days feel like years when I'm alone  
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side_

The biggest step Danielle had taken was coming to London. Since her mother had died, Danielle knew it had to be done. She never thought she had it in her, but the fact that she had managed to work through her plan of getting to know Ronnie was what she was most proud of. Sure, what she was faced with was the complete opposite of the true Veronica Mitchell, but things seemed to work out in the end. Danielle only wished she was more like Ronnie; Independent, confident, and successful. Danielle had failed to find a decent job, and had practically lived off the Slaters. She had wanted to insist on paying Ronnie rent, but looking through some brochures, she figured it would only embarrass her further as she wouldn't be able to afford it.

Ronnie was leaving her, Danielle's heart felt empty, she felt unwanted, open to danger, and felt she was fighting with Ronnie's previous lifestyle not to victimize her back into it. Maybe Ronnie looked forward to this time alone. After all, it had been her way of life for almost fifteen years, living alone, being her own best friend.

__

When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now  


Tears fell from Danielle's eyes. She was still the same reliant, naive, lost little girl that had wondered over from her secure, harmless life nearly three years ago. Ronnie's damage hadn't been paid for yet, Danielle now felt that emptiness just as much as she felt it back then.

_When you're gone  
The pieces of my heart are missing you  
When you're gone  
The face I came to know is missing too  
When you're gone  
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it okay miss you_

As much as Stacey may deny it, Ronnie's defences had dropped. She no longer turned people away, or solely relied on herself. Sometimes Danielle felt she was the only one who Ronnie allowed to see that particular version of. This is what Danielle missed. She tried to forget the previous Ronnie, for the truth was, Danielle had been exposed to Ronnie's more preferred face for the past two years. The countless variations had melted away, but left the best for last. This is the Ronnie Danielle was slowly learning to love, and although she had her doubts, the more time she spent with Ronnie, the quicker they faded. This was the first time the pair would be apart for more than a day.

"I love you." These words were Danielle's morning kick up the backside. Her reason to rise out of her comfortable safe bed, and face the world we all tolerate. With Ronnie by her side, the impossible became undefined.

Danielle wanted to prove that she would get through these solitary two weeks. Her aim had been to become independent, and living with Ronnie all her life certainly did not aid her intentions. She would be okay. She had to be okay. She would wake up every morning and live life to the fullest. She had to believe that Ronnie would return, that she wouldn't fall into the care-free lifestyle in Ibiza she previously lived. This hole wouldn't fill itself…

__

I've never felt this way before  
Everything that I do reminds me of you  
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor  
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do  


The flat was filled with Ronnie's aura. Danielle had settled in quite well, but this was still Ronnie's flat. Did she even have the right to be here? She didn't quite regard Ronnie as her mother, not yet, so was it right to live in such luxury at no cost? Danielle was certainly not experiencing the real world, but she and Ronnie were finding out so much about each other. Living with Ronnie gave her the confidence, the felling that she had a place, the feeling she belonged in addition to being longed for.

Wherever she looked, she saw Ronnie. What would Ronnie be doing at this precise moment? Was she happy, sad, stressed? Was she even thinking about Danielle? Did she have anything there to remind her of her daughter?

_  
When you walk away I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now_

Ronnie sat all alone in her hotel room. Papers were being printed, signatures were being placed. Ronnie never thought she would be so happy to release her assets. Most would tell her she was crazy for leaving Ibiza for a rain-filled life in London, but she knew better. She sat on her bed, twisting her locket around her fingers. Should she call? No, Danielle wouldn't like being pestered, she needed her space. Ronnie let the tears fall from her face. Those familiar thoughts, which had been dormant in her mind for so long now crept right to the surface. What is my little girl doing at this moment? Is she happy? Is she okay?

__

When you're gone  
The pieces of my heart are missing you  
When you're gone  
The face I came to know is missing too  
When you're gone  
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok  
I miss you

Without Danielle by her side, Ronnie felt vulnerable, defenceless and open. Her unpractised icy façade was no longer accessible. Danielle had overpowered its need to ever rise again, but what did Ronnie have when Danielle wasn't here?

__

We were made for each other  
Out here forever  
I know we were, yeah  
All I ever wanted was for you to know  
Everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul  
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me, yeah  


Her baby! Where was her baby? How cruel could life be, to let a life with Danielle weaken her so much, that the instant she was away, her life fell apart? At one stage she thought her baby was dead, and now all Ronnie had to do was lift the phone. She should be grateful, but then what did she actually deserve from life? At night, she was haunted by those distant memories, the way she had treated Danielle during her initial months in Walford, those tiny feet were so reachable, but Ronnie couldn't wait to push them further and further away. That wasn't her! That was her father; he had created the monster within her!

None of that mattered now she had her little girl back. From now on, it was to the future, live life like it should have been, and be there for Danielle. She was all that mattered, and Ronnie vowed that her heart and soul was devoted to the Twenty year-old. She now knew what she had to do. With that, she reached for her bag…

Danielle sat swinging her locket side to side. Danielle had come to Walford in search for so many things. Ronnie had thrown her dreams out the window, brought her so low, even let her consider ending it all. That was then…

In the past two years, Ronnie had run to all ends of the Earth, in search for those very dreams, brought them back through the doors and fulfilled them all. This was all Danielle could ever ask for. A mother, A father, and the woman who had given birth to her under the same roof as herself. Ronnie had provided that sense of belonging that her adoptive parents could never achieve. And yet, they were loved no less, for the fact that they tried so hard to give her all she wanted would never go unnoticed; not for a single second.

This cruel, vindictive world would not claim Danielle Jones. No, she would be whoever she wanted to be, a successful young woman, for she held great power, the power two sets of parents provided. She was loved, and for once, very soon her heart would be complete and content.

_  
When you're gone  
The pieces of my heart are missing you  
When you're gone  
The face I came to know is missing too  
When you're gone  
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok  
I miss you_

The phone started ringing, making Danielle jump. "Hello?"

"Hi, It's me love, how are you?" Ronnie spoke nervously, just like she had been so careful those years ago when their life-long relationship had just begun.

"Yeah, I'm great. Stacey should be along in a minute, how are things going over there?"

"Yeah…Just so much paper work you know. Shouldn't be too long now…"

"Have you been crying?" The question had been exchanged to both women at the same time. This has happened more often than could be called coincidental. They both let out a laugh before their thoughts cut in.

Why would Danielle be crying? Was she hurt, upset, what could be wrong with her?

Danielle's fast-thinking, spontaneous side kicked in, "Uh… yeah, I've just finished watching Titanic. You know what that does to me…"

Ronnie sighed in relief, but something wasn't right. "Yeah, well I think it's this line. We can get people to the moon, but I can't have a conversation with my daughter across the world" She huffed a giggle into the phone before silence filled both their ears.

"I love you ever so much Danielle, I'll be back soon, I promise…"

Danielle sighed and looked into the wall opposite. It was like Ronnie had read her mind. The kick up the backside had been placed to last a lifetime…

"I love you too Ronnie. But I still expect an expensive present…"

**A/N: Please review like you have been doing for my previous fics, I really appreciate every one of them. Constructive criticism always welcome**


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